Urban and suburban

It's not just humans who live in towns and cities. Even in the middle of the 'concrete jungles', wildlife lives alongside us.

What makes this habitat different?

You don't need to go far - just look out of the window... or when you're next out shopping or at the bus stop, take a minute to stand still and look skywards. Nature's all around you!

Urban parks and gardens are great for wildlife - they're our cities' 'green lungs'. Even cemeteries and churchyards, with their old trees and quiet corners, make great homes for wildlife.

There's something to see year-round, and it's literally up your street. Migrant birds can turn up anywhere, even in cities: those starlings on your bird feeder might have come from Russia, or the ducks on your local boating lake might be from Finland.

What lives there?

There's more to urban areas than grubby pigeons. All kinds of birds use our villages, towns and cities, from humble house sparrows to mighty peregrine falcons. To a peregrine, a city high-rise is just like a cliff; ideal for nesting on.

Take a stroll in your local park and you'll probably see woodpeckers, tits, finches and maybe a kestrel or sparrowhawk.

If there's a lake or river you're likely to see grey herons, coots and moorhens or, if you're lucky, the electric blue streak of a kingfisher.

Dig a pond in your garden, even in a town, and you'll attract dragonflies and frogs.

In spring, watch out for young foxes in your garden or the park. Butterflies turn up in gardens or on a window box and dragonflies zoom around, even away from water.

Everyone's heard of urban foxes and hedgehogs, but what about water voles? They like slow-flowing water, even in grotty-looking city drainage channels if they can find somewhere safe to breed and feed. Listen out for a 'plop' as they dive into the water.

Over the past few years, otters have started popping up in city lakes and rivers - they're making a comeback now our water's cleaner.

Dig a pond in your garden, even in a town, and you'll attract dragonflies and frogs. It's like going on safari in your own backyard.

Why is it in trouble?

Loss of food

The number of the house sparrow, starling and song thrush has gone down by more than half over the last 25 years. While some of this is because of changes in farming practices, in the cities and towns scientists think a loss of insect food could also be to blame. This means we need to make sure our gardens are full of insects for these birds to eat.

Unknown reasons

In 2007 the house sparrow, song thrush and starling were added as priority species to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan list. This means these once common birds are now species to worry about. Scientists are still finding out some of the reasons why this has happened.

See it for yourself!

If you live in a town or a city urban wildlife is all around you, but you can also get up close and personal with urban nature at one of our reserves!

Our urban reserves provide the opportunity to escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and get close to nature. You might be surprised how much wildlife you can see in, or close to, some of our major towns and cities.

Urban reserves

To find out more, pick a marker from the map or zoom in.

Belfast's Window on Wildlife

Nestled in the heart of the Belfast Harbour Estate, Belfast Window on Wildlife is home to birds and wildlife from all over the world, and you can get up close and personal with them from the comfort of the visitor centre.

Adur Estuary

The small reserve is composed of saltmarsh and mudflats that afford a good feeding and roosting site for waders and wildfowl. The reserve has no facilities as such, but it can be viewed from surrounding footpaths and Coronation Green.

Gypsy Marsh

Hayle Estuary

In cold winters, as many as 18,000 birds have been seen here, because this most south westerly estuary in the UK never freezes. During spring and autumn, it is an ideal place to see migrant wading birds, gulls and terns.

Radipole Lake

Rainham Marshes

We acquired Rainham Marshes in 2000 and set about transforming it into a great place for nature and people. You can expect to see breeding wading birds in spring and summer, and large flocks of wild ducks in winter.

Ribble Discovery Centre

Come to our visitor centre on the edge of Fairhaven Lake. It's the gateway to the north side of the Ribble Estuary - the most important single river estuary in the UK - which attracts over 270,000 birds each year.

South Essex Wildlife Garden

West Canvey Marsh

This is the largest single area of green space on Canvey Island. This wonderful wetland reserve includes nearly two miles (3 km) of new nature trails, three viewing points, a picnic area and children's adventure area.